1. Compare/contrast two of the Cinderella variants in chapter
11 in the reader. Or pick something from the list of other tales you might
use below.

If you want to use a picture book or other folktales not in
our reader or on reserve for this class, be sure to check with me
and make sure I have a copy of your sources when I grade the
paper.

2. You may focus your comparison on any features of the tales
that you think will make an effective comparison-contrast. See the list of features
or motifs on p. 527 and the suggestions on pp. 592-95, nos. 1 and 7.

3. Be sure your points of comparison are supporting a precise thesis.
The thesis must state the main point of your comparison in precise terms. The
introduction should give an overview of your sub-topics or points of comparison
along with the thesis. You must have a satisfactory thesis approved by the professor
before you submit your paper. Bring a tentative thesis to class on Mon.,
2/3.

4. You will most likely organize your comparison by criteria
(called point-by-point comparison in LBH). If you organize by source (called
subject-by-subject in LBH), be sure there is a specific focus on selected features
of the tales, the body of the essay is not just summarizing each tale, and the
reader does not lose track of the points of comparison or contrast. See pp.
159-61 in the reader and LBH, p. 100-101 for samples of each method of organization.

5. Every paragraph should discuss a specific point of comparison
that supports the thesis, and every point of comparison should be
supported by details from the tales you are discussing.

General suggestions for types of thesis statementsbut you
develop your own specific wording that suits the works you
compare and your interpretation of them:

Character X is more _________________ than character Y.

Although both characters face the same kind of obstacle,
character X ____________ while character Y
_______________.

Although these stories contain quite different characters and situations,
they both show that__________________. [Explain an idea or theme found in
both.]

While these tales both develop the theme of X [e.g., wish
fulfillment, sibling rivalry], different details do Y
[main point about how treatment of this theme differs in
the talese.g., the sibling relationships are very
different at the end]

6. If you use any short direct quotations in your essay, be
sure to quote accurately and use quotations marks. Give the page number of each
quotation in parentheses. See pp. 38-48 in the reader and LBH pp. 686-92 and
693-98 for advice about incorporating quotations smoothly into your paper.

7. If you use any ideas from secondary sources, such as the essays in the reader
about the tales, you must document those sources accurately. For this assignment
you are required to use only the primary sourcesthree fairy tales and
your own ideas as you compare them. If you use ideas from secondary sources,
you do so at your own risk.

8. Give complete citations to your sources at the end of the paper in a short
Works Cited list, using MLA style (see format in both textbooks).

9. Check your paper carefully for proofreading errors, especially inconsistent
verb tenses. Usually, when we retell something that happens in a story or narrative
poem, in order to support an idea in a paper, we use present tense.

For example:
In Ashputtle, the heroine is helped by a bird that has magic powers.
(main verbs in present tense)
Tanith Lee wrote When the Clock Strikes. (past tense because it
refers to a real action in the past, but you shouldnt have many sentences
like this in your papers).

Note: The term comparison is often used as a general
label to refer to points of comparison and/or contrast. Your essay may focus
mainly on similarities or differences or both. The most important requirement
is that your points of comparison are precise and support your thesis. Organizing
a comparison paper can be a little complicated, so leave plenty of time to revise
your paper for effective organization, coherence, clear use of details and quotations,
unity of purpose, etc.

Jack Zipes, Don’t Bet on the Prince (updated fairy tales by
various authors and critical essays)

Ashpet - live-action video by Tom Davenport

Cinderella- Rogers and Hammerstein musical (older production with
Leslie Ann Warren)- on reserve in Dr. Grimes' name

Ever After - live-action film with Drew Barrymore - in Dr. Whited's
name

The Princess Diaries - Dr. Whited's copy

Not on reserve but in college library archives: The Liberated Cinderella,
or, The Return of the Godfather, a one-act comedy by Rex and Ginny Stephenson.(1974)
Location: Stanley Library: Ferrum Archives XA / PS3569.T3866
L5

"Cinderella's Slipper" is an unpublished oral tale from Wise, VA,
a very interesting variation on the Cinderella story with no stepmother. Dr.
Hanlon has a photocopy from the the Blue Ridge Institute archives. More
information on this is at http://www.ferrum.edu/applit/bibs/tales/ashpet.htm